• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

NPD Sales Results for November 2014 [Up3: NPD Data Error, AC:U #5]

RM8

Member
Wii U numbers are sooooo trash, its crazy. Like, it won't even reach Gamecube numbers trash in that five year lifespan.
That's a given. It's going to be a DC, Saturn, TG16 selling system and not really a GCN selling system. I just hope it becomes at least somewhat profitable in the end, because it's really not bouncing back.
 

Amir0x

Banned
Hold up, how is it red alarm territory? I think it's been safe to say for quite some time that the PS4 was taking this gen WW, and fairly easily so at that. November clearly shows that there is demand for the XBO when the price point is where it was, so they take an increase in install base and figure out how to stay at that price point going forward.

I'm sure it's discouraging for them that pulling out all the stops just barely put them ahead of the competition, but I wouldn't exactly put it in "red alarm" territory.

It's bad man.

Here's how.

1. In order to achieve this win, Microsoft had to deeply devalue the product they had been offering all year for higher prices. Consumers jumped in - with a big jump early in November - but according to insiders, Sony may have even won Black Friday and it was those early two weeks that allowed Microsoft to keep the overall win.

2. So, due to this fact, what happens? Will Microsoft have to keep the price at $349? I don't see any viable alternative if they want to stay even remotely competitive now. If they go up to $399, consumers are going to wait it out knowing Microsoft will take drastic price cutting measures if they feel threatened from a marketshare point-of-view. So they'd just as likely wait it out. Consider Xbox division is already under pressure to start making a profit and being a viable pillar, many interal debates between services & devices and the other divisions. In order to just barely win, they had to cut in deep to their profit margin.

3. This means that once the glow of the price change is over, the trajectory indicates it's very likely now PS4 is just going to go back to winning every month. This is the last thing Microsoft wanted. Now they've devalued their platform, their profit margins are diminished, and PS4 is still the marketleader getting their good PR. Microsoft gained almost nothing in the exchange, except perhaps to tell third parties planning to publish games in the West that it's still important to make ports for XBO and engage in marketing deals with MS for some exclusivity and other mutually beneficial deals.

4. With all the game announcements from Sony in December (in fact so many that PS4 is dominating December discussion, in a crucial period of the time when families come together and thus quickly spread their opinions on personal events, TV shows, games, etc), it's not likely Microsoft is going to have room to breathe to make a second month upset. Microsoft Store is selling their system at an astonishing $349 AC Bundle with two free games on top of it, but it will not be enough with numbers that look like this even for November NPD.


None of this means XBO is selling poorly, it probably did quite well if it's that close and edged out PS4. But it does now mean the future is clear: Sony has this generation in the bag in terms of system sales, including in US and UK, and that Microsoft is going to have a very hard fight to even keep their unit sales competitive in their only two remaining viable territories.
 

Faustek

Member
MS can but can the Xbox division?

Honestly? Nope. Without their other services backing it up XBO would be a dead endeavour.

But something is telling me that Windows 10 will be a thing/
fiasco
that tries to hard to integrate XBO and W10. We should talk in about a year and see how those plans panned out. But as long as Multiplats sells really well Xbox will remain. No worries there.

Stop saying this. It literally doesnt make sense.

If you to the price cuts and all the add money it does but I wouldn't go so far to actually say it was pyrrhic more like a gamble that apparently didn't work out as well* as MS wished.

*If it had worked out that well we would be seeing "Won Us, Won UK". Have a feeling it was UK that they won. Those bundles where insanely good.
 
Xbox winning. No surprise. What is surprising though is the microscopic gap between the Xbox and PS4 despite MS going all out. That doesn't bode well for them.

Glad AC took a hit on sales. Sorry, but the game doesn't deserve to do well.

No Dragon Age? Shame, seems like most people like it. Well, at least it will go on sale relatively quickly...

#AlphaSapphireSuperiority
 
Assuming CBOAT is right, I think that given the PR statement from Microsoft that would indicate terrific sales, it's less of a negative reflection on the Xbox brand, and more of a positive one on the mass appeal of the PS4. So all of these lol Microsoft posts are pretty silly.
 

aTTckr

Member
To be honest though, judging by the amount that the PS4 was outselling the X1, it didn't seem as if many customers really faced a difficult choice between the PS4 and X1. So one could have guessed that a price of "regular" proportions like the one in November won't make a huge difference.
At this point in terms of short-term options, the only thing that MS could really do to create a meaningful distance in monthly sale is to do something completely drastic like pricing the X1 at halt the price of the PS4. Smaller price cuts just don't seem to cut it.
 

Cidd

Member
Wait... Do you actually know what pyrrhic means? It means when something comes at too great a cost. That's pretty fitting here considering MS definitely lost money on each console sold for a marginal victory.

Pyrrhic: (of a victory) won at too great a cost to have been worthwhile for the victor.

Weren't you the one predicting a 500k victory for MS?

what happened?!
 
Sony has big software hitting throughout the first half of 2015. Those are going to be bloodbaths.

Then the inevitable E3 $299 announcement. Then Uncharted and No Mans Sky and such during the holidays. Man .....

Could Sony actually hit 20m by January? If the US is about 37% of WW numbers then they may of had a 3 million selling month
 
It also means a hell of a lot more competition and the proximity to Christmas could also mean delayed sales for the ones that are intended as gifts to children. Hard to say how many units the release month was responsible for adding/taking away.
I guess we can't really argue about what ifs and looking outside of the bubble when there are plenty of factors that could contribute to more or less sales and have to look at the numbers instead. And the numbers say, in their month's of release, one remake outsold the other.

#JOHTOFOREVER
 

PhatSaqs

Banned
What devastating costs? Are you a MS stock holder? Do you know their detailed financial plan?


It comes down to this, the brand is healthy and you guys are talking out of your ass.
Its all about winning and losing on the GAF. Fuck internal numbers.
 

Hero

Member
Wow, that was the most aggressive marketing push I have ever seen for a console during the Christmas season. A drastic price cut on top of the recent 100 dollar price drop plus two free games (and more stuff at select retailers) and it BARELY outsells PS4. It's done, there is no way MS can ever outdo Sony this generation. Call it.

Good sales on Smash Bros. and amiibo. Wii U dead.
 
When will we get actual numbers?

If what cboat said is true we already have a pretty good estimate based on the increase vs last year. Someone worked it out to be anywhere from 1.79 - 2.09 million for PS4+XB1 combined. Since the diff is essentially a wash we're looking at 900k-1mil per system.
 
All jokes aside, that WiiU number (November, with Smash Bros) is the final nail in the coffin.
I mean, I've always believed that WiiU wouldn't even reach GC sales, but now there is absolutely no doubt.
 

system11

Member
Wait, why did Xbox do so well suddenly?

Three heavy hitter new titles while Sony had nothing but a port of a last gen game and LBP3. And a price cut. And bundling.

I think December is a lock for Sony, if those suggestions that the largest part of the disparity was in the first few weeks then the pendulum is already swinging back. Then we have the Microsoft no-show at TGA and the Sony PS Anniversary events just bombarding people with positive news.
 

Trevelyon

Member
If this is true, then what will MS have to do to actually start to make a meaningful dent in Sony's lead?

Maybe when Halo 5 roles round next November, they can give it another go. 'cause they're looking at little thin for the next few months.
 

Vestal

Junior Member
I don't think CBOAT would lie, unless that "gap" is for something else.

(If that is not the console difference)Even if he is referring to something else, the lack of clarification I would hope would pretty much banish him from GAF.
 
Everyone laughed when MS PR talked about selling a whole palette at a store on black friday. Turns out that may have been what put them over the edge lol.
 

Bessy67

Member
I think 399 after the holidays is MORE likely now honestly. Depends if they want to bleed money for minimal results or just coast on ok sales without losing money on every console sold
How is it minimal results? It led to their best month ever. Lets face it, Xbox One is never going to beat PS4 in worldwide sales. I know it, you know it, Sony knows it, MS knows it. That doesn't mean Xbox One can't be a successful product for MS.
 
D

Deleted member 17706

Unconfirmed Member
I guess we can't really argue about what ifs and looking outside of the bubble when there are plenty of factors that could contribute to more or less sales and have to look at the numbers instead. And the numbers say, in their month's of release, one remake outsold the other.

#JOHTOFOREVER

Haha. Fair enough! I think we can agree that both are great remakes that sold exceedingly well.
 

MilesTeg

Banned
It's been known Wii U is done for awhile. I expected similar numbers to last year. There were really only a handful of games released on the console all year. Cearly they couldn't get any momentum going and the price is still high.
 

Minions

Member
Sony got to roll along at $399 and maintain its profit margin, MS bought a PR statement for potentially hundreds of millions in lost revenue. The had to pay Ubi for two games, slash the price by $50-70 and throw in another game or two in some cases. It barely worked, but it isn't sustainable. I'm guessing they are just hoping for strong word of mouth (MCC lol) and momentum, which I think they will lose quickly if the price goes up.

Assuming they sold 900k they lost at least $54,000,000 in potential profits.... (Difference between regular price and sale price) That assumes a $60~ difference I saw someone say $70~ difference which would be another million dollars added on to the difference.

That assumes 900k consoles sold. This is not a guaranteed "loss" per say, at least as far as the how much microsoft would report as a loss. Just how much was "lost" (potential profits) selling the consoles for cheaper.
 

Gurish

Member
If it's only 7-10k gap I can't say it's a significant win to MS at all, I would even say it's a little worrying for them after all their enormous efforts.

That could explain why they didn't hurry to put a PR before as well, they are not really proud in such victory.
 
To be fair I'm not really sure what they can do at this point other than releasing new hardware. They gave Smash a huge, huge push.

I don't understand at all what Nintendo is doing with regards to the price of the WiiU.

After this holiday all bets should be off. That console should be $150 and ride it out on software sales until the next generation.

It worked really well for the gamecube and they pulled out a lot of strong sales after they brought the price down significantly below PS2/Xbox.
 
Word from connected people is that the first two weeks of November was what won it for Xbone. PS4 nearly caught up thanks to BF and GTA bundles. Exciting stuff!

Those 10 dudes that didn't buy GTA they said , it isn't appealing they said . thanks for sharing

xZqfC4n.jpg
 
Welp , that's it for Wii u

I expect a Zelda twilight princess situation for the next Zelda game, or it'll be a launch title for the next Nintendo console

Bye bye little guy, still sticking with my launch model
 
Instead.... NOTHING. God damn this thing is going to make the Gamecube look like the PS2 in comparison.

The hyperbole is getting a bit ridiculous now. Is the Wii U selling well? Not at all. But it's getting close to 10-million sales, which is already half of the GameCube did.

And the GameCube only sold a fifth of what the PS2 did. So no, it doesn't make the GameCube look like the PS2 in comparison. There is no need to exaggerate when the numbers already speak for themselves.
 
Top Bottom